Latin 101

The ablative case is used to designate three types of ideas: seperation, instrumentality, and location. In English we designate these ideas with the prepositions: from (separation); with, by (instrumentality); and in/at (location).

ablative constructions with prepositions

ablative of manner (C14)

Construction: verb plus preposition (usually cum) with object of prep in abl designating the way in which the verb is performed.

Examples:

• a) cum celeritäte vënit; he came with speed
• b) cum pecüniä vincit; he conquers with money

BGP Notes:

If the noun indicating manner is modified, the preposition is often omitted:

e.g.: magnä celeritäte vënit: he came with great speed.

ablative of accompaniment (C14)

Construction: noun in abl as obj of cum indicating those accompaning

Examples:

• a) cum uxöribus et lïberïs vënërunt; they came with [their] wives and children
• b) cum amïcïs venit: he comes with friends

ablative with cardinal numbers (C15) [alternative to the genitive of the whole]

Construction: cardinal number or the word quïdam ["a certain one" - C26] plus the prepositions ë/ex or dë plus a noun designating the whole in the ablative. Note - you may never use this construction with mïlia (one thousand).

Examples:

• a) ünus ex hostibus; one of the enemy
• b) quïdam ex mïlitibus; certain of the soldiers
• c) quattuor dë nostïs; four of us.

ablative of agent (C18)

Construction: passive verb; agent in ablative as object of ä/ab

Examples:

• a) laudätur ab hïs, culpätur ab illïs; he is praised by these men but blamed by those
• b) ab animö tuö quid est factum id est factum ä të: what is done by your soul is done by yourself

BGP Notes:

If the passive verb is performed by an inanimate agent use the ablative of means or instrument.

ablative of place from which (C20)

ablative constructions without prepositions

ablative of means or instrument (C14)

Construction: verb plus noun in the ablative designating how the verb was accomplished

Examples:

• a) vï victa vïs est: violence was conquered by violence
• b) litteräs stilö scrïpsit: he wrote the letter with a pen.

ablative of time (C15) [a temporal locative]

Construction: temporal noun/adj in ablative: => time when or time within which

Examples:

• a) eö tempore nön poteram id facere: at that time I could not do it.
• b) Agricolae bonïs annïs valëbant: the farmers flourished in good years.
• c) eödem dië vënërunt: they came on the same day
• d) paucïs horïs id faciet: he wil do it within a few hours

BGP Notes:

• The ablative of time within which will often take the preposition in to avoid confusion with the ablative of time when.

e.g.: in diëbus decem: within ten days

ablative of separation (C20)